I’m having a love affair with grapefruits. This time of year, when so much produce is in hibernation, citrus fruits are at their peak. My current obsession honors this juicy orb, long marginalized as a diet food for women to eat daintily for breakfast with a serrated spoon. No longer.

On a recent trip to Argentina, I had the good fortune to visit Mishiguene. The restaurant’s philosophy is based on the fact that Jews have established roots all over the world and had to adapt ancestral recipes to locally available ingredients. The menu of Mishiguene reflects that tradition,…

If you’re hosting a Super Bowl party this weekend, be prepared to have a lot of beer left over as guests bring six-pack after six-pack. Unless you have a prodigious liver, chances are you will never drink all that leftover beer.

I recently hosted a casual weeknight dinner for six neighbors who wanted to discuss the political climate and how to change it. Overnight, it mushroomed into a dinner for 20, which was good news in terms of the level of engagement we were generating, but challenging news for the cook.

October is the shoulder season — the High Holidays are over and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. This is when you want easy snacks, quick lunches and no-fuss appetizers for unexpected guests. You want them to be delicious and filling, but you also want them come together quickly with…

Bagels and lox are wildly popular and easily assembled at the last minute for any event, but several years ago, I began adding Sephardi dishes to our buffets. Not only healthy and colorful, this cuisine pairs well with bagels and lox.

Everyone looks forward to breaking the fast, except for maybe the chef, who likely has plenty of other things to do in the days ahead. So with Yom Kippur just a few days away, here in advance are some quick and easy ways to break the fast in style.

A diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables is generally recommended for optimal health, but that can be a challenge in our region during the dead of winter. The good news is that with some effort, we can find locally grown and stored produce at area markets.

Zesty and delicious, Mexican appetizers are so versatile. Sautéed or roasted vegetables, cilantro, scallions, salsa, avocado, corn kernels and refried beans can be easily added or substituted for a recipe’s suggested ingredients. Because Mexican appetizers are often finger foods, they set an…

R emember the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode where Larry David is obsessed with chicken from a Palestinian restaurant, but is wracked by guilt for supporting the establishment? “I know, I know, but this chicken, you can’t believe how good it is!”

There is nothing better than biting into a ripe peach, even when the juice rolls down to my chin. With their sweet flavor tinged with a touch of tartness, peaches are my favorite fruit — not just for their taste but for their versatility, too.

I began with the best of intentions. For years, I made rich meals for Shabbat dinners all year-round, but in the summer, even with air conditioning, I became overheated preparing hearty food, which my family and friends didn’t feel like eating on sweltering days.

We hosted a dinner guest last week who was on a complicated and restricted diet. He was undergoing a 30-day allergy testing period due to a variety of health issues and was unable to eat dairy, grain, acidic foods, eggs, sugar, most animal fats, fruit, alcohol, chilis or anything highly spiced.

I’ve been playing around with whole grains lately and, prompted by an impulse buy at the farmers market when I saw a new merchant shivering in the rainy cold, I became the dubious owner of a bag of organic groats.

My book group prioritizes literature, food and wine more or less equally when we plan our monthly meetings. This month, we read the new Arundhati Roy book, “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness,” which is set in India.

Like football fans the world over, we provisioned generously for Super Bowl Sunday. As a result, we have a surplus of things that we normally do not overstock, including a glut of beer, several slabs of cheddar cheese and a large jar of mustard.

As the January doldrums arrive, we crave hearty, warming meals. Soups roasts and stews abound, but these heavy dishes can make us feel sluggish and want to hibernate even more. I’m all for warming from within, but don’t forget the veggies.

There is nothing cozier than inviting friends for afternoon tea. It’s a stylish way to host book clubs, bridal showers and people who like chatting. Admittedly, tea rituals are more popular with women than with men.

Chili is a true one-dish meal. It contains protein, vegetables, fiber and loads of flavor. But even the most Spartan of us likes a little variety on the table. With that in mind, I offer the following suggested accompaniments to a steaming bowl of chili: